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Actor Cory Monteith, who rose to stardom playing the quarterback-turned-singer Finn Hudson in the hit television series "Glee," was found dead Saturday in a Vancouver hotel room. He was 31.

Acting Vancouver Police Chief Doug LePard confirmed the death Saturday night, telling a hastily called news conference that the cause of death had yet to be determined, but foul play was not suspected. He added that investigators believed Monteith died alone.

The actor checked into the Vancouver Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel on July 6 and was due to check out Saturday. He was discovered in his 21st floor room by hotel staff after he failed to do so. He had been dead for several hours.

Surveillance footage showed he had been with friends Friday night but returned to his room alone.

Vancouver police do not expect to provide any updates on the death of Cory Monteith until Tuesday at the earliest.

“We have interviewed everyone he was with the night before. For the most part, it has been turned to the Coroner’s Office who will be determining the next steps with respect to establishing cause of death,” said Const. Brian Montague.

The Coroner’s Service said Sunday no decision has been made yet to go ahead with an autopsy.

“If we do decide to go ahead with one, it will be either (Monday) or Tuesday. But we are still at the information-gathering stage, and no confirmation of one is yet made,” B.C. Coroner’s Service spokeswoman Barbara McLintock said in an email.

Monteith’s family issued only a brief statement to The Hollywood Reporter following news of his death. “We are in shock and mourning this tragic loss,” it read.

Late Saturday, the executive producers of Glee also released a statement. "We are deeply saddened by this tragic news," the statement said.

"Cory was an exceptional talent and an even more exceptional person. He was a true joy to work with and we will all miss him tremendously. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones."

The actor's death comes more than three months after he told People magazine he had voluntarily admitted himself into rehab for substance abuse, though police declined to speculate whether there was any connection.

"We only notified family members about an hour ago, and so we haven't been able to have those conversations with them," LePard said, when asked about the possibility Monteith's death was related to substance abuse. "What we can say is that the cause of death wasn't immediately apparent."

Video and electronic records from the hotel indicate Monteith entered his room early Saturday morning, and British Columbia's chief coroner said he`d been dead for several hours by the time he was found.

LePard said police took the unusual step of summoning the media to head off the inevitable speculation the star`s death would generate.

"Obviously, with a celebrity like Mr. Monteith, there's going to be an extraordinary level of interest in a routine sudden death," he said.

"We know there would be a great deal of speculation and probably inaccurate information, so we wanted to provide accurate information as soon as we could."

LePard also added a personal note about the case. "As was the case in countless homes, I watched Glee regularly with my daughters and I know there will be shock and sadness in many households with the news of his tragic death."

His fellow "Glee" cast members took to Twitter shortly after the news broke.

"I am so saddened to hear about Cory. He was such a great guy/Super-kind &warm," wrote Josh Sussman, who plays Jacob on the show. "A tragic loss. My heart goes out to all his friends & family."

Nolan Gerard Funk, an actor from Vancouver who joined the "Glee" cast last year, tweeted: "Thanks for always being kind Cory. You came a long way from hanging on the beaches in Vancouver with the gang pre Glee. Sending you love bud."

And Mark Salling, who plays Puck, wrote simply, "No," in a tweet that later appeared to have been deleted.

Monteith had come a long way in a short time. Before becoming an actor, he did odd jobs in Nanaimo, B.C. -- a taxicab driver, a school bus driver, a roofer. In 2009, he hit it big after making the drive from Vancouver to Los Angeles in "20 hours without stopping" in order to audition for Glee. A year later, Monteith and his cast members were performing for the Obamas (self-described "Gleeks'), attending Elton John's glitzy Oscar bash, and rolling out a clothing line for Wal-Mart, where Monteith had once worked as a greeter.

Glee fans on Vancouver’s Granville street expressed shock and grief upon learning of Monteith’s death Sunday.

A dancer, Ouellet said she’s watched Glee from the beginning, entranced by the music and dance aspect, as well as it’s realistic tackling of issues high school students face, such as homophobia and teen pregnancy.

Janelle Garcia, also a dedicated fan, said: “It’s sad, because he’s young and he’s Canadian and he worked hard to get where he was.”

Leslie Reiber, visiting from San Francisco, said Monteith seemed like a “nice, familiar young man.”

She wondered whether his death was the result of an overdose.

In April, Monteith told People magazine that he had voluntarily admitted himself into "a treatment facility for substance addiction."

It wasn't his first time in rehab. He was also treated when he was 19 and had talked openly about his addiction struggles, saying he had a serious problem and took just "anything and everything."

He told Parade magazine in 2011 that he was "lucky to be alive."

B.C.'s chief coroner, Lisa Lapointe, said further tests would be needed to determine how Monteith died.

"The exact nature of those examinations will depend on investigative findings within the next day or two as information is gathered from medical records and discussions with family take place," she said.

Monteith, who recently played the male lead opposite Selena Gomez in “Monte Carlo”, was set to star in a Bleiberg Entertainment action drama McCanick with David Morse and Brandon Routh, according to IMDB.

Monteith was to play a seemingly harmless young criminal, Simon Weeks, who has been released from jail and is hunted down by aging narcotics officer Eugene Mechaneck, played by Morse.

Earlier in his career, Monteith had minor roles in "Final Destination 3," "Whisper" and "Deck the Halls," and had a recurring role in "Kyle X."

with files from Canadian Press

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